Eoin Morgan says his selection as England captain for ODI in Dublin reflects well on Irish cricket

Appointing Eoin Morgan to captain England in a one-day international against
Ireland, the team he left for greener pastures two years ago, looks like one
of Andy Flower’s famous character tests, especially as England have already
stirred up the locals by bringing over a second team and insisting on an
early start in order to jet home straight after the match.

Morgan, who missed Ireland’s famous win over England in the last World Cup with a broken finger, has played against his old team before and reckons he has built up an immunity to any brickbats that might come his way. In any case, he appears unrepentant over his change of allegiance , saying that other Irish players would do the same if they could.

“There was a bit of banter flying around the first time I played against Ireland, but it’s got to the stage where it’s quite comfortable now and they don’t really bother,” said Morgan ­yesterday at Clontarf Cricket Club.

“I remember meeting the national coach when I was 14 and telling him my future wouldn’t be in Ireland but England,” added Morgan, arguably the finest cricketer produced here. “Since then, I’ve done everything to get where I wanted to be, so I’ve been very lucky in that regard and a lot of the other guys want to do that as well.”

Resisting the lure of England, especially when it includes the possibility of Test cricket, is not easy. Last week, Boyd Rankin, who will open the bowling against Morgan’s team, played for England Lions against Sri Lanka A, a blurring of allegiance that Morgan, who once captained Ireland against England in the Under-19 World Cup, feels is an acceptable part of improving one’s game.

“I don’t think it is strange, as it’s part of his development as a cricketer trying to play at the highest level,” said Morgan. “For Boyd to play for the England Lions is a huge stepping stone and fantastic recognition for him from the England selectors.” This laxity of identity is not shared by William Porterfield, Ireland’s captain, who says his country must aim high if they are to keep their best talent.

“We’ve produced a lot of good cricketers these past few years and in an ideal world we’d be playing at the highest level ourselves,” said Porterfield. “The plan is to get a first-class structure here, and then we wouldn’t have to rely on playing in England to get the experience. The goal of Test cricket might not happen during my playing career, but many people wouldn’t have believed the improvements we have made between the last two World Cups.”

The apogee of those improvements was their famous win over England in the last World Cup, a victory that certainly deserved the respect of a strong side for this game. But while it is possible to justify sending a team of fringe players le d by Morgan at this enervating stage of the season, which will include between two and four debutants depending on the level of experimentation, the game’s early start is a request too far even for ­hospitality as famed as Ireland’s.

A 10.15am start is 30 minutes earlier than usual and is not necessary to adjust for fading light, as Dublin is far more westerly than any major ground in England. A similar half-hour shift in the old September finals at Lord’s, used to have sides desperate to win the toss in order to bowl first .

Porterfield tried to play it all down but, unless he’d recently been to a Samuel Beckett play , there was something about his deliberate choice of words and the silences between them which suggests an undertow of disquiet persists about Ireland’s bossy neighbours.